BARCELONA, Spain — Formula 1 leader Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris on Saturday.
Piastri used one last flying lap to knock Norris off the top spot and get the edge on the starting grid.
Sunday’s race promises to be a scintillating fight between the papaya-colored cars, which have won six of the first eight races of the season and put Max Verstappen’s hold on F1 in jeopardy. Piastri leads Norris by three points in the standings through the first third of the season.
It was the Australian’s fourth pole of the season. He leads the field with four race victories, although Verstappen and Norris have come out on top for the previous two grand prixs.
“Very happy, it has been a good weekend so far. The car has been mega, and glad to put in some good laps as well,” Piastri said. “It is going be interesting tomorrow. It is a long way to Turn 1 so I got to make sure I make a good start.”
Verstappen will start Sunday’s race from third in his Red Bull. Verstappen, who is 25 points off Piastri’s lead, has won at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the past three years.
When asked if he had hoped to be closer to his McLaren rivals, he responded with a terse “No.”
“It is going to be tough tomorrow,” Verstappen said. “That doesn’t mean we are not going to try.”
